New York Yankees: Didi Gregarious is a keeper for 2020

The New York Yankees have plenty of talent on the roster, but there are a limited amount of at-bats. One player they need to find a place for in 2020 is Didi Gregorius.

As the New York Yankees run into October ends, one player stands at a crossroads. Didi Gregorius remains unsure if this is the beginning of the end of his chance to be a part of the next Bronx Bombers dynasty. Surrounded by young talent everywhere on the diamond, he is aware that baseball can be a business and his spot on the roster is in a precarious position.

The case for the Yankees moving on from Didi is strong and obvious. There is plenty of talent on the roster in young superstar Gleyber Torres, MVP candidate DJ Lemahieu, and the find of this season Gio Urshela. With Miguel Andujar set to return from injury next season, as well as Luke Voit and the ghost of Greg Bird still hovering around the team, New York has a glut of talent for just four infield spots.

The outfield logjam doesn’t help his position with the team either. Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner, Mike Tauchman, and Clint Frazier are six good players. That means there is nowhere to move anyone from the infield to the outfield. Forget about the DH spot, it’s overloaded as well. This is a good problem for the New York Yankees to have, as a team, but at the end of the day finding playing time for everyone is a problem.

Statistically, Gregorius is above average defensively, with more power than the average MLB shortstop. The same could be said for Torres who also hits for a better average. Didi is notoriously streaky. He can go from carrying the team for weeks on end to going 0-for-August.

It seems like an easy choice until you move aside the numbers and look at the intangibles. Things like his nightly twitter recaps (with emojis) after games are fan favorites. Gregorius, along with Aaron Judge, seems to be the heart of a very tight Yankees clubhouse. Then there is also the way he consistently shows up in big games and comes through in the postseason (this year’s ALCS disappointment being the outlier).

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Luckily for the Yankees, Brian Cashman has noticed all these little things. While Didi struggled at the end of the season, the New York Yankess GM made clear that Gregorius had succeeded in the past and the team had no plans of abandoning them now. His faith was rewarded when Didi hit a huge grand slam that essentially ended both the game and the Minnesota Twins season.

If the Bombers bring back Gregorius for 2020, the infield most likely would be him at short, Torres at second, Lemahieu, Andujar and Urshela manning first and third. Lemahieu would also provide off days in the middle of the infield. Urshela has been great but it’s just been one year, and the same could be said for Andujar’s 2018 performance. Until the team knows more about both players, hanging on to everybody is a good idea.

Gregorius is in the prime of his career. The 29-year-old has done everything the Yankees could have hoped for when they acquired him and gave him the task of replacing Derek Jeter. He has performed on the field, been an ambassador off of it, and took on a leadership role in the clubhouse. Didi worked to come back early from his injury this year. Even with his peaks and valleys, overall he has still been a valuable player.

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I hope Brian Cashman continues to see his value and Sir Didi remains with the team for a long time.

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